questions about guinea pigs

is Norstar Premium Softwood Bedding OK for guinea pigs?
and is it possible to put a leash on a guinea pig?
how do you give vitamin c to your guinea pig?
what kind of things are safe to give a guinea pigs to chew on for his teeth?


thanks

 

For bedding you want to stay away from Pine and Cedar. They contain phenols that aren't good for small animals. Norstar Premium Softwood Bedding I believe is Kiln dried Pine and Spruce. Kiln dried is ok for small animals.

For vitamin C I believe Guinea Pig pellets already are supplmented with it. You can also buy Vit. C drops for their water and chewable tabs they can munch on.

I believe they do make special harness' for guinea pigs.

 

When I had a guinea pig i gave her vitaminC in her water. Are you thinking about getting onr, or do you already have one?

 

i am thinking of getting one..
so..i wanted to know as much possible before i get it.

thanks both for replying

 

is Norstar Premium Softwood Bedding OK for guinea pigs?

I wouldn't chance it. Cedar and pine are softwoods and contain harmful phenols that can cause upper respiratory infections in small animals. I would reccomend aspen, carefresh, or yesterday's news.

and is it possible to put a leash on a guinea pig?

Yes, but most of them can get out of it, and they won't really "walk" on it. I usually just put up a fence for them.

how do you give vitamin c to your guinea pig?

Do not use the drops that go into the water, they're useless. Vitamin C breaks down in the light, so as soon as light hits the bottle of water, the Vitamin C starts deteriorating. The best way to give Vitamin C to piggies is with fresh veggies.

Check out Guinealynx.info for dietary information. They need approx. one cup of fresh veggies per day, per pig to fulfill their vitamin C needs. (This will vary by vegetable, of course.

what kind of things are safe to give a guinea pigs to chew on for his teeth?

Hay is the best thing for keeping their teeth ground down. They should have access to hay 24/7. Young pigs under 6 months of age should be given alfalfa hay, older pigs, over 6 months of age, should be given timothy, orchardgrass, or bluegrass hay.

 

would it be ok to give vitamin C in the water if you change the water daily? Because that's what I did to my Alfa. I never understood why she died (although it could be from old age since I had no idea how old she was when I got her)

 

It's really not the preferred method. Not only does it break down in the light, you also give out uneven amounts. The drops I picked up said 10-15 drops per water bottle, but didn't specify the size of water bottle or anything. So you've got a highly variable mix that starts deteriorating in the light. Add that to pigs who don't always drink the same amount, and I just tend to think that it's never a good idea, and is much easier to feed them veggies, which they love and think are treats.

That being said, you can also buy 100mg chewable vitamin C tables and give them 1/4 of it each day. The goal is to give 25mg-30mg of vitamin C per piggie per day to avoid problems with scurvy.

 

so yeah you can buy harnesses for them...i take mine for little walks on the harness in summer...